Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

Located in the heart of Seoul, Changgyeonggung Palace was first built by the 4th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejong (r.1418-1450), for his retiring father, King Taejong. It often served as residential quarters for queens and concubines. During the reign of King Seongjong (r.1469-1494), the palace was renovated and renamed to Changgyeonggung Palace. It later became a park with a zoo and a botanical garden during Japanese colonial rule. The palace was then relocated in 1983 and regained its old grace after years of restoration. Past the entrance of Changgyeonggung Palace, the Honghwa Gate, you will find Okcheongyo Bridge. All palaces of the Joseon Dynasty have ponds with an arch bridge over them, just like Okcheongyo Bridge. Cross Okcheongyo Bridge, pass the Myeongjeongmun Gate, and you will find Myeonjeongjeon. This is the office of the king, and Myeongjeongjeon is the oldest of the Joseon Dynasty palaces. The houses face southwards, but Myeongjeongjeon faces east. Because the ancestral shrine of the royal family is located to the south, the gate couldn't face the south, as is required by Confucian custom. There are stones with the status of the officials carved on the yard. Behind Myeongjeongjeon on the upper left side is Sungmundang. This building utilizes the slope of the mountain. If you look at Myeongjeongjeon and Munjeongjeon, the combination of the high and low roofs offers a beautiful view. Tongmyeongjeon was built for the queen. It is the biggest building in Changgyeonggung Palace, and you can recognize the delicate details of its structure in various parts of the building. Walk up the stones past Tongmyeongjeon and there you will find Jagyeongjeon. On the southeast direction of the Jagyeongjeon is the Punggidae. This Punggidae is a measuring instrument. It is a long pole with a cloth hung at the end used to check the speed and direction of the wind. If you head north there is a large pond called Chundangji. Half of the pond was originally a rice field that the king took care of. But during the Japanese occupation, the rice field was changed to a pond with little ships floating on it. And the botanic garden built above the pond still remains today.  


Gangwon-do(Pyeongchang-gun)

Yongpyong Resort is situated at the center of Korea’s Baekdudaegan Mountain Range, and sees an average of 250 centimeters of snowfall per season, which makes for excellent skiing conditions. Not only that, the resort’s enormous seventeen million square meter complex includes a 45-hole golf course, gondolas, swimming pool, and other facilities. This all-season recreational complex allows visitors to escape from daily life and relax. Yongpyong Resort has an impressive twenty-eight ski slopes, including the popular Rainbow Slopes, and offers excellent facilities for skiers. The park’s fifteen ski-lifts include a 3.7km cable-car and the resort's Dragon Plaza is the largest ski complex in Asia, offering a variety of services for skiers and snowboarders. Yongpyong Resort has hosted a number of international competitions, including the World Cup Ski Competition and the Asian Winter Games. It is consequently one of the most popular ski resorts in Korea, and is frequented by many tourists. Accommodation options include condominiums, a hotel, and a youth hostel. Yongpyong Resort is a 2-hour drive away from Seoul, but the resort runs shuttle buses from Seoul during peak season. Visitors traveling from the Daegu and Yeongnam regions can take the Jungang and Jungbu Inland Expressways, and arrive at Yongpyong Resort within three hours.    


Busan(Busanjin-gu)

Founded in 1986, Samgwangsa Temple is the second Cheontae (천태종), located in Choeup-dong, Busanjin-gu, Busan. The temple nestled in the hillside of the Baekyang mountain so all Busan area is viewed at one glance with the bright morning sunshine. It opens 24 hours for praying and continues its practice Buddhism religiously everyday.


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

               


Busan(Haeundae-gu) , Haeundae

BEXCO (92,761m²) is a large international exhibition/convention center with eight floors (1BF-7F). It offers spacious exhibition halls as large as three football fields combined, multi-purpose halls, and outdoor exhibition halls. Equipped with advanced equipment, the convention center is ideal for holding international exhibitions, meetings, concerts, or sporting events.Events in BEXCO include Group Drawings for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea-Japan, 2003 ICCA Annual Conference, 2004 ITU Asia, and 2005 APEC Summit. In addition to outstanding facilities, BEXCO offers comprehensive service packages linking business, marketing, and tourism.


Seoul(Yangcheon-gu)

Mokdong Stadium, located in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, was opened on November 4, 1989 to accommodate an increasing number of people who want to work out in Seoul. It houses a soccer field, baseball field, figure skating rink, as well as a traditional game field at the Jungang plaza. Also, it has an indoor shooting range and fitness club. The main stadium is comprised of a soccer field and an athletic sports stadium, spanning over an area of 16,233㎡ and is able to accommodate up to 16,000 people. The ice rink covers an area of 6,018㎡ and can accommodate up to 7,000 people. Not only are there the usual on-ice activities such as ice hockey and figure skating, ice ballet performance is also held in the stadium. The stadium is used for a diverse range of sports, as well as, a daily work out place for nearby residents.


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Insadong・Jongnon

Opened on April 1, 1981, Arko Arts Theater’s mission statement is to “boost performance art, obtain performance space to promote its popularity among the public, and support stages to pure art organizations facing financial difficulties."Over the last 24 years, it has made immense contributions to the development of Korean performance art. By the end of 2004, the theater offered 20,581 performances and attracted over 4 million visitors.As the center of performance art, the theater also began to attract a slew of small theaters and has played a pivotal role in promoting performance art and populating Dongsung-dong with artist. Currently, Daehakro (College Street) is home to over 58 theaters that offer colorful performances every day, making it the focal point of performance art in Korea.Large performance hall, children's playroom, small performance hall, practice room pianos, visual equipment (TV and VTR recording), audio equipment (recording, music/effects editing), stages (revolving state, elevated state, and orchestra pit), lobbies (first and second floor of large performance hall and small performance hall) 


Seoul(Jung-gu) , Seoul City Hall・Gwanghwamun

Background Information: The Chungdong Church, having being completed in 1898, is Korea’s first Protestant church. The church was 115 pyeongs when it was first built, but as they added some extra buildings to each wing in 1926, it now stands at 175 pyeongs.The Church has been declared the 256th greatest achievement, displaying a North American style Gothic architecture. Inside the church grounds stands a bust of the founder, Minister Appenzeller, and a 50th year commemoration memorial. In 1889, the church appeared in a monthly publication magazine called ‘Church’ as having Korea’s first summer Bible studies and also one of the leading churches who does missionary work. Chungdong Church is located in the center of the beautiful Chungdong Street, and is especially beautiful in autumn, when the leaves fall from the trees that line the street. Chungdong Theater, Deoksugung Palace, and Seoul Museum of Art are also in the vicinity, making it a great place for tourism.


Seoul(Jung-gu) , Euljiro・Chungmuro・Namsan

Following his mother’s footsteps, the son of the previous owner is now managing the family business. Opened during the early years of Jokbal Street, the delicious meat at this restaurant is fondly remembered by customers. While the meat itself has almost no fat, the fat portion is extremely soft and savory. This restaurant is also different from the others in that it provides kongnamul-guk (bean sprout soup) with the jokbal (steamed pork hock). Pyeongyang-style naengmyeon (cold noodles) and tteok-mandu-guk (rice cake-dumpling soup) are also delicious. Pyeongyang naengmyeon is cooked to suit South Korean tastebuds. Besides, the noodles and dumplings are hand-made. Despite the restaurants long history, the building of the restaurant is clean and well-maintained as it was being rebuilt after a fire in the 1980s. There are plenty of tables on the first and second floors to accommodate customers, and the third floor is reserved for large groups. Especially noticeable is the clean appearance both inside and out, despite the restaurant’s long history; probably because the building was rebuilt after a fire in the 1980s. Plenty of tables on the first and second floors accommodate customers, and the third floor is reserved for large groups.


Seoul(Dongdaemun-gu) , Dongdaemun

Located in Dongdaemun-gu Seoul (the largest distribution market of herbal medicine in Korea), the museum is situated on the grounds of Bojewon, a medical institution that was in operation during the Joseon Dynasty. The Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum was established with the goal of preserving and developing Korea’s herb medicine culture. It has on display oriental relics and samples of medicinal herbs.Opened on September 13, 2006, the museum boasts a wide assortment of items: 500 pieces of equipment used by practitioners of herbal medicine, 420 artifacts related to the field of oriental medicine, and about 350 herbal medicinal items.A large number of antique books related to herbal medicine are also on exhibit at the museum, helping visitors unfamiliar to the practice gain an overall understanding of what effect each herb or technique has and how each is used when treating patients.In addition, the museum also houses a model of the Bojewon from the Joseon Dynasty, an oriental medicine experience zone, a multi-purpose auditorium, a rest area, and museum shop.